Vice President Mike Pence got the internet’s attention Thursday after he was photographed touching a piece of critical space flight hardware clearly marked with a “do not touch” sign during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

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Pence was with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabena when they spotted the hardware in the Orion spacecraft clean room. Pence is leading a newly revived National Space Council, according to The Associated Press.

The original photo was shot by Reuters photographer Mike Brown, according to Gizmodo. It inspired a flurry of memes from dumbfounded internet users.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com